Step inside Amazon's corporate palace

Netflix bets on more House of Cards... and Stretch Armstrong

Netflix has announced two new series, one very familiar to long-time viewers of the streaming video service, the other to anyone who grew up playing with a rubber wrestler.

ADVERTISEMENT

The bigger news is the return of political drama House of Cards for a fifth season in 2017. With the fourth season set to premiere on Netflix on 4 March, that means a guaranteed 26 more episodes following the Machiavellian Frank Underwood, who is now mid-election as sitting President of the United States -- and has spared no-one along the way.

However, while the new run will see Kevin Spacey reprise the lead role, the series will lose its showrunner Beau Willimon. With season four complete, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter departs the show he helped create. "I'm grateful to Netflix and Media Rights Capital, my fellow executive producers, our two incandescent stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, our talented writers, as well as the incredible cast and crew with whom I've had the privilege to work," Willimon said, via statement. "After five years and four seasons, it's time for me to move on to new endeavours, but I'm supremely proud of what we've built together, wish the show much continued success, and leave it in the hands of a very capable team."

READ NEXT

The Defenders on Netflix review: a slow-burner with potential

ByMatt Kamen

Netflix hasn't announced who will replace Willimon as showrunner, nor which other cast members may return. Although, as series devotees will know, that latter point may be dependent on who survives crossing a potential President Underwood this year. The latest trailer for House of Cards season four can be seen here.

Slightly less likely to feature drawn out plans to position the central figure in the highest office in the world is Netflix's newly announced Stretch Armstrong series. Yes, this Stretch Armstrong. The malleable crime-fighting body builder will be getting a 26 episode animated series in 2017.

Netflix describes the series as "an animated action/comedy series about overscheduled teenager Jake Armstrong and his two best friends. When the trio are accidentally exposed to an experimental chemical, they become Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, a team of unlikely superheroes who expand beyond the confines of their lives and embark on a series of adventures!"

ADVERTISEMENT

Creators on the series, or even details such as animation style, have yet to be announced.

Believe it or not, WIRED thinks the series has a lot of potential, and not just for itself. It's the first time Hasbro Studios is creating original programming for Netflix. While Stretch Armstrong may not be an unstoppable nostalgia-powered juggernaut, Hasbro also owns big brands like Transformers, My Little Pony, and GI Joe. If a relatively niche franchise like Stretch Armstrong can find an audience on Netflix, then online streaming could prove a valuable new market for kids shows, which are increasingly struggling on broadcast television.